Spotlight on ... Professor Kathleen Tait PhD MPBS SFHEA FHERDSA

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Tai, Kevin Wai Hin

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May 5, 2024, 2:49:53 PMMay 5
to Special Interest Group for Translanguaging and Inclusive Education
This week we meet Professor Kathleen Tait,PhD MPBS  SFHEA FHERDSA, Associate Professor within the Macquarie School of Educational Studies, Faculty of Arts, Macquarie University, Sydney. Prof. Tait’s expertise is in the fields of moderate to severe disability and complex conditions; (e.g., sensory, physical, intellectual, profound and multiple impairments, & complex health care needs). Her experience is with students who have experienced problems in their ability to access the academic, behavioural, and social curriculum of their mainstream school. Kathleen can offer instruction on academic, behaviour and social skills with the aim of successful reintegration of students with special education needs back into mainstream schooling. She also has extensive expertise in Child Development, Developmental Psychology, Educational Psychology, Mixed Methods Research Design and Qualitative Data Analysis. In addition to her educational qualifications, she has post-graduate psychology qualifications in Applied Behaviour Analysis and Higher Degree Education. Kathleen is a registered graduate psychologist with the British Psychological Society.




1.    What is your current role and what does it entail?
I am currently employed as an Associate Professor within the Macquarie School of Educational Studies, Faculty of Arts, Macquarie University, Sydney, AUSTRALIA. My work involves Teaching, Research and Service. Holding the role of Academic Program Director for post-graduate studies in Inclusive and Special Education from 2016-2020, I have been responsible for leading and developing the following five Post Graduate courses of study:
•       Master of Education (Special Education Studies) International Course Specialization
•       Master of Special Education
•       Graduate Diploma in Special Education
•       Graduate Certificate in Learning Disabilities
•       Graduate Certificate in Positive Behaviour (PBIS) Management
2.     What sparked your interest in inclusive education?
In my senior years at secondary school, I taught Sunday School at my local church. One day some parents came to watch my lesson and asked me if their young daughter (who had a vision impairment) could join my class.  I was delighted but also apprehensive as I had never interacted with someone with a disability before. I was determined to learn how to include students with special needs and how to assist them to learn independent skills. When I left school, I enrolled in a Bachelor of Special Education. I later qualified as an educational psychologist. I am passionate about and I have loved every minute of my career in this specialist field.
3.     Which professional achievement or initiative are you most proud of?
In 2021, I was awarded a HERDSA Fellowship. I am most proud of the fact that I was the first academic at MQU to achieve this award. I am also a recipient of the Senior Fellowship from the Higher Education Academy UK. I have received the Excellence in Teaching Award from the University of Sydney and nominated for the Vice Chancellor’s Excellence in Teaching and Learning award at the University of New England. In 2022, I was awarded a MQU Highly Commended VC Excellence in Teaching Award. In 2021, I was awarded Honorary Affiliate of the Australian Institute of Special Educators (AISE). In 2022, I accepted the role of Research Director of the AISE.
 4.     Tell us about a project you are working on now which is top of your to-do list?
I have been incredibly fortunate obtaining research funding of AUD $2 million.  Most recently, I have achieved Australian Research Council (ARC) grant success 2024-2026 = AUD $398,033.00.
I have two research projects that I am working on in Australia and I am very keen to begin similar projects in an international setting.
  1. Exploring the Design of Tactile Playgrounds for children with Vision Impairment.
  2. Analysis and enhancement of the potential communicative acts of young children with complex conditions who are at risk for communication disorders.

5.    If you could give advice to your younger self, what would it be?

Follow your passion and your dreams because your career is going to offer you amazing travel, research, and publication opportunities in multiple international settings.
Dr. Tait’s expertise in the field of tertiary education stems from 25 years practical, administrative, and consultative experience in special education and tertiary environments in the United Kingdom, Brunei Darussalam, Hong Kong SAR, Mainland China, Japan, and Australia. This international experience provided her with an extensive appreciation of the complexities of working with diverse cultures (e.g., Malaysian, Indian and Chinese) and diverse religions (e.g., the Islamic, Hindu and Buddhist faiths).
Hyde, M. B., & Dole, S. & Tait, K. (2022). Diversity, Inclusion and Engagement, Fourth Edition. Melbourne: Oxford University Press. ISBN: 9780190329488
*This textbook has been on the Oxford University Press Top Ten Best Seller List since 2010, and it is a recommended text for inclusive education studies in 27 Australian Universities.
6.     Who has been a significant influence in your life?
I have worked with a great number of fantastic National and International colleagues.  My PhD supervisor and I continue to research and publish together.  The biggest influence in my life are the families who are raising children with significant disabilities in very difficult situations where there is not enough support for them or their children. It is the love and devotion of these individuals that have had such a significant influence in my life, and their life stories fuel the passion that I have for my work in the field of developmental disability.


7.     What is something about you that would surprise people to know?
I have two areas of expertise: Developmental Disability AND TESOL
Area of Expertise: (1) Disability Studies, Special Education and Educational Psychology
Kathleen’s expertise is in the fields of moderate to severe disability and complex conditions; (e.g., sensory, physical, intellectual, profound and multiple impairments, & complex health care needs). Her experience is with students who have experienced problems in their ability to access the academic, behavioural, and social curriculum of their mainstream school. Kathleen can offer instruction on academic, behaviour and social skills with the aim of successful reintegration of students with special education needs back into mainstream schooling.
Kathleen also has extensive expertise in Child Development, Developmental Psychology, Educational Psychology, Mixed Methods Research Design and Qualitative Data Analysis. In addition to her educational qualifications, she has post-graduate psychology qualifications in Applied Behaviour Analysis and Higher Degree Education. Kathleen is a registered graduate psychologist with the British Psychological Society.
Area of Expertise: (2) Academic Writing Skills, Academic English for Specific Purposes, TESOL, Cross- cultural education, Academic Support for Refugees.
Kathleen has a strong history of working in cross-cultural teacher education projects in East Asian countries (e.g., Mainland China, Hong Kong SAR, and Japan) as well as South-East Asian countries (e.g., Brunei, Singapore, Malaysia, and Vietnam). She has qualifications in TESOL from the UNSW – Institute of Languages and Academic English teaching (EAP) from the University of Sydney - Centre for English Teaching. Kathleen has worked as volunteer-mentor at the University of Sydney: Refugee Language Program.

Contact details
Kathleen Tait  Ph.D., MBPS., SFHEA  FHERDSA
Associate Professor
Disability & Diversity, Complex conditions, AAC, ABA & Quality of Life.
Macquarie School of Education | Faculty of Arts | Level 3, Room 366, 29WW 
Macquarie University, NSW 2109, Australia

Websites


Professor Kevin W. H. Tai

BA (Hons 1) (Newcastle, UK), MSc (Oxon), PhD (UCL), FHEA, FRSA 

Assistant Professor of Language and Literacy Education

Co-Director, Centre for Advancement in Inclusive and Special Education (CAISE)

Chair, Special Interest Group for Translanguaging and Inclusive Education, CAISE

Chair, Working Group for Research, Academic Unit of Language and Literacy Education

Faculty of Education 

The University of Hong Kong

Honorary Research Fellow, IOE, UCL’s Faculty of Education and Society, University College London

Editor, The Language Learning Journal (Routledge) 

Assistant Editor, International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism (Routledge) 

Executive Guest Editor, Learning and Instruction (Elsevier) 

Research Advisor, Cambridge Educational Research e-Journal

Awardee of RGC Early Career Award (ECA) (2023/24), Research Grants Council of Hong Kong

Email (HKU): kevi...@hku.hk  

Email (UCL): kevi...@ucl.ac.uk  

Telephone: (852) 3917 6107

Website: https://web.edu.hku.hk/faculty-academics/kwhtai
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